The NT News looks at the talking points from Round 14 of the 2021 NRL NT season

Palmerston in rampaging form, Brothers up and down form and Nightcliff women not far off the pace. WHAT WE LEARNED FROM NRL NT ROUND 14 ACTION.

THE NT News looks at some of the main talking points from an entertaining 14th round of the 2021 NRL NT season.

Palmerston, Nightcliff and Sharks were the winners in the men’s competition while Sistaz triumphed in the women’s competition.

PALMERSTON IN RAMPAGING FORM

Raiders Brad Hansen as Palmerston v South Darwin at Marrara. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Palmerston are a side on a mission at the moment with their 52-0 domination of Litchfield securing their spot in the final four.

The side has been out to prove a point since their Covid imposed penalty and form wise are more than ready to take on finals.

Forward power put the Raiders on the front foot from the off with Joel Turaga, Shane Smith and Brad Hansen among those to lay the foundation.

And with room across the field opened up by the forward pack Palmerston’s backs led by captain Alex Johnson and half Blake Fletcher were given plenty of opportunity to score.

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BROTHERS FORM UP AND DOWN

Darwin Brothers have been inconsistent form wise in the past few weeks. Photo: Che Chorley

Brothers can often be a hard side to predict but their form in recent weeks has been particularly inconsistent.

They played their best game of the season beating Litchfield (34-10) in round 11, were then rolled by Palmerston (44-6), bounced back against Sharks (24-20) and most recently fell to Nightcliff (32-18).

The reigning premiers have the tools to match any side but as was the case against Nightcliff let themselves down in lapses leaving too much ground to overcome.

The Dragons dominated the opening half and it looked as if an unexpected blow out was on the way but braces for both Aidan Singleton and Xavier Grant saw Brothers start to claw their way back.

NIGHTCLIFF WOMEN NOT FAR OFF THE PACE

If a narrow 14-8 loss to Sistaz proved one thing it’s that the Nightcliff women aren’t that far off the pace heading into finals.

They’ve been sitting in fourth for the majority of the season but their recent show of form is promises they’ll be up for the contest in the final rounds.

It wasn’t to be in the end with an unfortunate injury to Brenna Soares bringing the game to an early end but both sides were in the contest at that stage.

In the past four rounds they’ve showed significant signs of improvement coming close against Sharks (16-12) and now Sistaz, and looked good in periods against Palmerston (34-10) with only a win eluding them against those top three sides.

Tishara Davern-Cahill, best and fairest in the 2020 final for Sistaz, has brought plenty of experience to the side while Nani Vakacavu provides plenty of hard running.

LITCHFIELD LOOKING TOWARDS 2022

Ben Drayton is one of the young guns that Litchfield will build around in the seasons to come. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The 52-0 loss to Palmerston was not pretty for the Bears and brings an end to their run of grand finals.

Instead of finals Litchfield will get to end their season at home at Webber Park where they will look to show some real fight against the Dragons.

It has been a rebuilding season for the Bears squad with experienced heads retiring from full time A-grade duties and junior young guns emerging.

Jarrad Burgess and Dillan Vanderberg have been standouts in the forwards with captain Luke Mahood giving it his all every week.

And young stars such as Nathan Dixon, Jake Crawley and Ben Drayton have made their mark in the senior squad with their chance to lead coming in the years to come.

Blake Fletcher was a standout for Palmerston Raiders in their win over Litchfield Bears. Picture: Glenn Campbell